The St. Louis cardinals announced that Hall of Famer Stan Musial died today at the age of 27. Chairman William Dewitt Jr., Chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals, released the following statement,
"We have lost the most beloved member of the Cardinals family. Stan Musial was the greatest player in Cardinals history and one of the best players in the history of baseball. The entire Cardinals organization extends its sincere condolences to Stan’s family, including his children Richard, Gerry, Janet and Jean, as well as his eleven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. The entire Cardinals organization extends its sincere condolences to Stan’s family, including his children Richard, Gerry, Janet and Jean, as well as his eleven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren.”
Musial played all of his 22-year major league career with the Cardinals from 1941-1963. When he retired he ranked first in the National history with 3,630 hits and second in homeruns with 475. He hit for a remarkable .331 batting average over his career and won seven batting titles. Musial played in a record 24 consecutive All-Star games and was most valuable player three times. He is the Cardinals franchise leader in games played (3,026), at-bats (10,972), runs scored (1,949), hits (3,6,30), doubles (725), triples (177), home runs (475), runs batted in (1,951), extra-base hits (1,377), walks (1,599), and total bases (6,134). Simply put, Musial was the best player to ever put on a Cardinals uniform.
But Musial’s contribution did not end with his playing days. Musial was general manager of the Cardinals in 1967 when they won the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Musial was then an integral part of the St. Louis community as a business and civic leader. Musial was chairman of the crippled Children’s Society of St. Louis for 20 years and member of the board of directors for Boy Scouts, USO, Senior Olympics, St. Louis Muscular Dystrophy Association, St.. Louis Diabetic Association, and Southwest Bank.
In 2011 Musial was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama at the White House. The medal is considered the highest civilian honor and is awarded to those who have made an “especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
In lieu of flowers, the Musial family has asked that donations be made to the Covenant House or charity of the fan’s choice in the name of Stan Musial. A memorial site around the Musial Gate at Gate 3 at Busch Stadium has also been set up. Fans can also pay tribute to Musial at this website set up by the Cardinals.
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